Gender bias could be difficult for former Microsoft employee to prove

A woman suing Microsoft claims the technology giant does not give females a fair shot at advancement.

The Seattle Times reports Katie Moussouris is seeking a class-action lawsuit for her case, which includes allegations that Microsoft discriminates against women in technical and engineering roles.

Discrimination described by the former Microsoft employee claims the company undervalues female technical employees, compared to male counterparts. As a result, women are paid less and receive fewer promotions. Moussouris says she was not promoted, while less-qualified men were receiving bumps in pay.

Microsoft responded to the allegations saying it is “committed to a diverse workforce” and that all employees “have a chance to succeed.” It has reviewed her past allegations and did not find anything substantial, but will investigate the new complaint.

About 13 percent of Microsoft’s 144 senior employees and managers are women, according to the Times; 20 percent of mid-level managers and 22 professionals are women.

It’s an issue that KIRO Radio’s John Curley and Tom Tangney grappled with.

John Curley: Yikes.

Tom Tangney: It’s really hard to prove it. It’s not going to work as a one-on-one; it needs to be a class-action. How people interact with you is crucial, but also fuzzy. It’s hard to prove in court that, because you’re a woman, you weren’t advanced. It’s hard to prove discrimination. In a court of law, it’s hard to prove, exactly, these inexact situations.

JC: They would have to show it was a pattern and get someone’s email that says, “Let’s keep this woman down.” There needs to be some kind of evidence.

I spoke with a female computer programmer at Stanford a few months ago and asked her why there aren’t more women in the field?

Here’s her explanation: You’re a female and you sign up for computer 101. First of all, you’re the only woman in there, and let’s be honest, hygiene isn’t the top priority. As you sit down in the chair next to you, a kid says, “I wrote a program that rivals Google … I have a new algorithm that’s faster than Google.”

The girl turns to another person and asks “is this 101?” Then that person brags about what he’s done over the summer.

The problem is these guys have been doing this since they were 12 years old. For a young female to come into that classroom, it’s very hard. Plus, it’s a male-dominated world because the money and excitement is directed at video games that have a guy with a gun shooting people and blood splattering all over the screen.

Where is the appeal for a female?